1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resin composition and a molded article, and more particularly, to a plant-derived resin composition with a high crystallization rate and a molded article obtained using the resin composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Studies of resins synthesized from plant-derived starting materials, rather than from petroleum, have been widely conducted in recent years to alleviate the environmental problems, such as global warming and depletion of petroleum resources. In particular, polylactic acid has been studied as a plant-derived resin, and a variety of products made from this resin have been found to be of practical use.
Thermoplastic resins made from polylactic acid can be generally classified as amorphous resins and crystalline resins, and the latter can be crystallized by a thermal treatment. In the case of crystalline resins, because crystallization can improve heat resistance and mechanical properties, such as rigidity and impact resistance, the resins are preferably used after crystallization rather than in an amorphous state. However, when injection molding is performed, the resin has to be held in a mold for a certain period of time at an adjusted temperature after the injection to ensure complete crystallization. Therefore, the crystallization rate has to be increased in order to increase productivity.
The addition of a crystal nucleating agent is known as a method for increasing the crystallization rate, and certain specific cyclic compounds have been reported to be effective as crystal nucleating agents for polylactic acid (International Publication No. WO2004/022649).
However, the crystallization rate of plant-derived resin compositions is still insufficient compared with that of the conventional petroleum-derived resin compositions for general use, and a further increase in crystallization rate is required.